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墨書 Inktalez
She took off her glasses, pulled out a piece of cloth, and began to wipe them while saying, "Perhaps this is karma, Officer. Do you know? Ten years ago, I snatched him away from someone else, and now, ten years later, someone has taken him away from me."
She lifted her head and gave a bitter smile. "What doesn't belong to you truly isn't yours."
Ah Huang listened quietly to Yang Xuan's account.
"I can't have children, so I cherish his child. I treat his son as my own. But as the years went by, I noticed he slowly started seeking affection elsewhere. At first, I didn't want to interfere; I thought it was just a fling and that he would come back when he was done playing. But I was wrong. In the beginning, he often came home to spend time with me and our child, but as the child grew older, I realized his sense of responsibility towards home was fading. By the time I wanted to salvage things, it was already too late."
Yang Xuan smiled helplessly again. "I had no choice but to let him go. It is what it is, Honest. I have hated him before, but now I understand that hate is useless. I just want to wait until our son is a bit older and in college; then I'll discuss ending this marriage with him."
Ah Huang suddenly asked, "Where were you when the incident happened?"
Yang Xuan paused for a moment before replying, "Last Friday, I was at school."
"Do you have any witnesses?"
"Yes, our department head and several colleagues were in the office; you can investigate them."
"What about Thursday?"
"On Thursday, he was still at school with those same colleagues. He didn't come home that night and stayed in the school dormitory."
Ah Huang stopped talking and began jotting down notes.
"Who else is at home?"
"His mother is at home. His father passed away; he is the only child. A few years ago, he brought his mother from the rural home to live here."
"Does your son commute or stay at school?"
"He stays at school. Living on campus helps him integrate into the school and community environment earlier, so we arranged for him to board. Since he's in his senior year, he usually comes home on Saturday afternoons and goes back to school on Sunday."
"Well, let's first understand the situation. If needed, we will contact you again," Ah Huang closed the notebook.
We stood up and bid farewell to Yang Xuan as we walked out. As I was leaving, I noticed a room next to the corridor with a sign that read: Chemical Laboratory. I thought to myself, Yang Xuan is quite the academic powerhouse; how could she keep her husband's heart while doing experiments? But how did such a girl manage to win over that man ten years ago? It was truly puzzling.
I couldn't help but turn back and ask Yang Xuan a question. "If I may be so bold, Ms. Yang, I would like to ask you something."
"Officer, please go ahead."
"Did you truly love the deceased?"
Yang Xuan paused for a moment, fell silent, and did not answer.
I smiled in understanding and gestured for Ah Huang to leave.
Afterward, Ah Huang went to find Yang Xuan's supervisor and colleagues to investigate further while I wandered around the campus. To be honest, this was my first time back at a university since graduation. Looking at the young faces around me, I felt that although I hadn't been in society for long, it seemed like several years had passed. It appeared that life really is like a chisel; it slowly leaves its marks on you.
After a while, Ah Huang came out, signaling for me to follow him while saying, "You wouldn't believe how sensational Yang Xuan was back in school."
I was surprised. "Oh? What have you found out?"
As we walked, Ah Huang continued, "Yang Xuan was an out-of-town student. Her best friend and fellow hometown girl, who was a few years her senior, graduated and married the deceased."
"Ah, you mean Yang Xuan's friend?"
"Exactly! Yang Xuan often kept in touch with her best friend; they were very close. The couple would take her out for social events. After graduation, it was her friend who asked the deceased for help to secure a position for Yang Xuan at the school by paying some money. Then she helped introduce her to boyfriends. At that time, they already had children; their family seemed harmonious and happy."
"And then?"
"Later on, somehow her friend discovered that Yang Xuan and the deceased had become involved. They were caught sleeping together in the same bed. Her friend couldn't handle the blow and fell into depression, ultimately committing suicide. Not long after that, Yang Xuan married the deceased. This caused quite a stir at the school back then, and as a result, Yang Xuan was reassigned from frontline teaching duties to work in the laboratory."
"Is that so?" I was a bit dumbfounded; it seemed too dramatic.
"There's something even more dramatic. Actually, Yang Xuan was already involved with the deceased during her junior year. The deceased paid for her tuition directly into the school's account!"
"You know all this?"
"In China, when it comes to relationships between men and women, it's hard to keep things under wraps, or at least only the parties involved can be kept in the dark," Ah Huang said with a faint smile. "Besides, we can check the transaction records of the school accounts."
I was at a loss for words. Ten years, a cycle; Yang Xuan was like this back then, and now Yueyue was too. It seemed the deceased had a fondness for college students.
"What do we do next?" I asked Ah Huang.
"We still have to wait for the results of the forensic examination. It should be soon; I expect we'll have results by today," Ah Huang said as he started the car. "Or I could drop you back at the base first?"
I was a bit surprised. "I've just been tagging along with you; it doesn't seem like I've helped you with anything or offered any advice."
"Hehe!" Ah Huang smiled mysteriously. "Actually, I've noticed that sometimes when I bring you along, things take a turn or become more eventful."
"What do you mean?"
"Let's head back for now. We'll know the results tomorrow, and I'll call you then," Ah Huang said without looking back.
What the hell! I felt a bit speechless; I wasn't just a tool.
When we arrived at the side entrance of the base, I asked Ah Huang to drop me off in front of an internet café. It had been a while since I last went online, and I wanted to play around and look for some information.
I casually found a seat and typed in "Spontaneous Human Combustion." Most of what I found was similar to what Jinghe had mentioned: it involved a candlewick effect that led to human combustion, occurring within a confined space. The gist was that when a candle is lit, the wick creates a guiding effect, causing the melted wax to flow toward higher temperatures near the flame's tip, where it vaporizes and burns. The heat generated from this combustion further facilitates the upward flow and vaporization of the liquid, creating a cycle. Many materials in clothing contain fiberglass, which has a similar effect; although these materials are not easily flammable on their own, they can create localized high temperatures due to fiberglass influence, leading to ignition and extensive burning.
Out of 100 spontaneous combustion cases online, 80% were attributed to human actions—either intentional or unintentional. Reading this gave me some ideas; if it were indeed murder, Yang Xuan seemed more likely to be involved since she was studying chemistry and would certainly understand spontaneous human combustion. However, Yang Xuan didn't have an alibi for the time of the incident.
Returning to the matter at hand, if it truly was a murder, then no one had the opportunity to commit the crime. According to the Yueyue law, the victim left the house around 7 AM, and was burned to death in the afternoon. During that time, the house was locked. What could have happened during that period?
I pondered deeply, feeling like I was on the verge of grasping something important, yet I couldn't quite put my finger on it. After a while of fruitless thinking, I decided to stop and casually opened up Crazy Tank, a game I hadn't played in a long time. Since I never spent money on online games, I chose Steel Cannon, a free and practical tank.
I played a few rounds on a narrow bridge and ended up losing several matches with a random teammate. Frustration bubbled up inside me; what terrible teammates! Watching their poor skills and awful judgment of distance made me type out a message: "Watch your lead!"
After a long pause, my teammate finally responded with a smiley face and said, "Sorry, there's a delay in the network."
Delay!? That word suddenly sparked in my mind. Yes, that's it! Delay! Delayed ignition!
If there was a fire, it didn't necessarily have to ignite at that moment; it could have been delayed! Certain substances can ignite when they reach a certain temperature, like phosphorus and others.
Could this be a line of thought? If so, then Yang Xuan also had no opportunity to commit the crime, while Yueyue might actually have had the possibility. This was indeed a complex situation!
I unintentionally continued playing the game until I logged off my computer and returned to the barracks through the side entrance.
(To be continued, more exciting developments tomorrow!)
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